Northern Ireland’s marine economy is on the verge of an era of rapid expansion, driven by the Fleet Solid Support programme and the recent contract between M3 Wind and Belfast Harbour, as recognised by a coalition of stakeholders including Belfast City Council Labour Market Partnership, Invest NI, Unite the Union, NI Maritime & Offshore, Department for the Economy and Department for Communities. The sector was worth £2.2 billion (including £400 million Gross Value Added) and employed an estimated 5,300 people in 2019.[It includes shipbuilding and ship repair, offshore energy and renewables (onshore renewables is included in the survey due to crossover of jobs and skills), advanced manufacturing, and electrical and engineering. Significant investment has already been made in these areas but now requires workforce planning to ensure the right people with the right skills are in place.
These industries could deliver well-paid, long-term employment and anchor Northern Ireland’s future economy, but without a skilled workforce projects may stall and jobs could go elsewhere. To address this risk, a regional Skills Audit survey has been launched, and employers across Northern Ireland are being urged to take part. The survey will capture current and future workforce demand across key growth sectors, building a clear, evidence-based picture of skills needs through 2028, 2030 and beyond. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete, but the results will shape training provision and workforce development across Northern Ireland for years to come.
The findings will directly inform government departments, further and higher education providers, training bodies and industry partners, helping to:
- Align skills investment with real employer demand
- Avoid critical skills bottlenecks
- Support sustainable economic growth
Graeme Wilkinson, the Director of Skills Strategy and Policy in the Department for the Economy says “We are currently experiencing significant growth in shipbuilding, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing. Having access to skills and talent is critical to the future growth of these sectors. As a department we stand ready to support the development of skills, but we need your support to identify the actions needed. We therefore invite you to complete the Maritime and Cross-Sector Skills Survey. Your feedback will help shape government support for training and skills development, directly influencing future policy and funding decisions.
Take action now: Please complete the survey by 30 January 2026 to help secure the skills your business needs for continued success.”
John McClune, Director of Skills and Competitiveness at Invest Northern Ireland said: “This is an opportune time to capture evidence from local businesses to help inform and shape skills training needs to support the growth of Maritime, Offshore and Engineering skills.
The information you provide will help us work collectively with our colleagues in Government and with external stakeholders to develop bespoke skills support. We hope that this will develop a pipeline of skills that will enable businesses to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the Maritime, Offshore and Engineering sector.”
Recent announcements underline the scale of opportunity to our local economy. Major shipbuilding and offshore wind investments are expected to create thousands of skilled jobs. Yet many of the most in-demand roles — including welders, pipefitters, electrical and controls engineers, technicians, project managers and marine specialists — are already in short supply and required across multiple sectors.
Without a coordinated, cross-sector understanding of demand, competition for scarce skills will intensify and Northern Ireland’s growth potential will be constrained.
This Skills Audit is only as strong as the evidence provided. Employers, supply-chain businesses, industry bodies and sector organisations are strongly encouraged to complete the survey and share insight on:
- Current workforce challenges
- Projected growth and future labour demand
- Skills gaps and training needs
- Opportunities for upskilling and reskilling
The survey closes at midnight on 30 January 2026.
Complete the Skills Survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CrossClusterSkillsAudit
For further information, please contact: Ciaran Boylan at ciaran@locusmgt.com
Additional information:
About the Opportunity: The opportunity to Northern Ireland includes the £100million investment in the shipyard at Harland & Wolff (Navantia UK) as part of the Fleet Solid Support programme bringing shipbuilding back to Northern Ireland and creating over 1,000 jobs across the UK – many of them in Belfast. Also, the £100million contract signed between Belfast Harbour and M3 Wind to carry out assembly for the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms, which could see over 300 jobs created during the construction phase. However, recent capacity and readiness constraints show that if the right skills are not available in Northern Ireland, work and investment will move elsewhere.
Applicability: While the survey is being driven by the maritime sector, the survey is open to all companies working in on and offshore renewables, shipbuilding and ship-repair, ports and maritime activities, electrical and high-voltage and advanced manufacturing. This is due to the fact that these industries utilise the same people and skills. Therefore, we need to understand the skills needs across sectors in order to develop a full picture of training needs for Northern Ireland.